ONE of Guildford’s most established specialist shops, The Mad Hatter hat shop is to undergo new ownership.

Carolien Jones will be taking over from Barbara Woodhall, who has run the business in Castle Street for the past 11 years. And as a milliner, she will be bringing her own specialist hands-on skill to the new job.

The shop has been a popular fixture in the town for 21 years and has remained largely unchanged throughout its existence.

But Jones, who has been making hats for the past two years, has plans for a general update to the shop’s interior and some of the stock with the introduction of new designers.

She further plans to convert an area currently used for storage, into a workroom from where she plans to run hat making courses.

While hats may seem less popular now than in the past, retiring owner, Woodhall asserts that the shop’s longevity is testament to an ever popular market.

While many specialist shops can suffer on the modern high street, Woodhall believes that when it comes to hats, a specialist service is important to the customer.

“Buying a hat is a very personal experience and we have lots of people who have made a bad choice in a larger store because they’ve had no guidance,” said Woodhall.

“It was always my worst nightmare when someone rushed in and said they only had 10 minutes left on the parking meter because choosing the right style does take time.”

The proximity to Goodwood and Ascot, ensures the shop has always had a steady stream of custom from race-goers, while weddings remain this main motivation for hat buying.

Woodhall took over the shop following its first owner, Rosemary Proctor.

“Over the years I’ve tried to make it more popular with younger people and I would say that now we have customers from 14 to 94.

“We have never bought the hats on mass, we use individual designers after seeing their collections, or sometimes they will approach us.”

Woodhall will miss her days at the shop.

“Hat shops are few and far between and there is always something very special about them.”